In a market that is incredibly competitive, how can marketers make their businesses stand out? They could find the solution they need in a niche marketing plan. Learn what a niche marketing strategy is, how to create one, and instances of successful niche marketing strategies from well-known firms.
Niche Marketing Strategy: What it is?
A niche marketing approach takes into account the unique group of clients that your organisation is trying to acquire. Instead of focusing on the larger market, it concentrates on a select set of customers.
You may differentiate yourself from the competition, draw in customers who can’t help but buy, and increase profitability by using a specialised approach.
Creating a Niche Marketing Plan
1. Recognize your rivals
Without researching your competitors, it is hard to develop a specialised marketing plan. That’s because it’s essential to comprehend your USP, or what you accomplish to set your business apart from the competition.
Perhaps you create unique ceramic dinnerware, or perhaps you created a solution that makes it simpler for marketers to send emails. Find your area of expertise and build a story around it, whatever it may be.
2. Specify your specific market
“Build something 100 people adore, not something 1 million people kind of like,” is a famous quote attributed to Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky. Simply put, it’s preferable to connect with a small number of enthusiastic customers than a big audience that is unimpressed. By focusing on the ideal niche market for your organisation, you may achieve this.
Finding devoted clients who would willingly select you over rivals requires time and thinking, but it is worth the effort.
Thirdlove, for instance, was the first underwear brand to sell bras with half-size cups. Over 327,000 Instagram followers have become devoted fans of the brand because of its accessible size options and focus on body diversity.
3. Follow where your customers are
Creating an email campaign-based niche marketing approach wouldn’t make sense if your ideal consumer spends their entire day browsing around Facebook. Herein lies the benefit of market research.
Although you are already aware of who your customers are, research enables you to learn more about them, including their shopping habits, how they discover items and the factors that affect their choices. You’ll receive the best return on your marketing investments if you have that knowledge.
4. Listen to the word on the street
Everybody has issues that require solutions. You can uncover chances to close the gaps if you pay attention to what others have to say about a certain commodity or service. When he created a remedy for headphones that were frequently tangled, David Barnett did precisely that.
A firm called Popsockets was born out of two buttons that were first stuck to the rear of a phone cover. Seven years after its establishment, Popsockets generated $169 million in sales.
5. Develop a distinctive brand
All that’s left to do is create a brand identity once you’ve identified your USP, created a buyer persona, identified how to contact them, and listened to their challenges. You may create a specialised marketing plan that is true to you and attracts the right clients with the aid of a clearly defined brand.
For instance, more than 138 million customers have come to Etsy because of its status as the marketplace for independent artists. In a 2020 TV ad, the company discussed the epidemic and used emotive marketing strategies to rally support for the platform’s small-business sellers.
8 Examples of Niche Marketing Strategies
TomboyX: Despite all the advancements made in the area of gender fluidity, many people still have trouble finding garments that are gender-neutral. This was the issue that TomboyX’s creators wanted to address, and they saw a niche market that needed to be filled by a clothing line that catered to both genders.
With goods like compression shirts, soft bras, biker shorts, and swimwear, the company has something for everyone.
In order to promote its brand, TomboyX developed the #TomboyTuesday content series, in which they speak with self-described tomgirls about their lives and paths to self-love.
Malenki Shoes: The need for stylish shoes for tiny ladies was seen by the founder of Malenki Shoes as a market need. Instead of being restricted to children’s flats at their neighbourhood shoe store, this brand empowers small people with fun, fashionable heels and sandals.
Malenki Shoes, a niche business, has benefited from influencer marketing to increase consumer knowledge of its name.
They get access to larger audiences as well as the reputation of the influencers who promote small fashion businesses by collaborating with them.
Flylow Gear: With 9.2 million skiers and snowboarders in the United States, the market looks to be large enough for everyone to benefit.
However, given those well-known companies like Patagonia and The North Face can be found in practically any sports store, it might be challenging to persuade buyers to choose smaller, less well-known brands.
Flylow Gear discovered a way to cut through the din. Their niche marketing strategy concentrates on backcountry skiers searching for straightforward, high-quality equipment rather than aiming to attract all buyers interested in winter gear.
To reach their ideal customers, their items are advertised in all the appropriate locations, such as Powder magazine. Even their confirmation emails reveal that they are a tiny group of devoted skiers residing in the mountains.
DryBar: A few years ago, ladies could purchase packages from traditional salons that typically included a wash, blowdry, haircut, and iron. This was a time-consuming process that may keep you in the salon for several hours.
Then came DryBar, which only provided blowouts as a service. Consumer perceptions of a salon visit were altered by this specialised service.
How did they get the message out there?
One method was through its straightforward yet potent tagline:
“Not a cut. no colour just blowouts”
Customers could easily comprehend what DryBar was all about and what it had to offer thanks to its straightforward catchphrase. After then, their brand recognition significantly increased, leading to widespread press attention in the United States.
Natural Dog Company: In 2021 alone, Americans spent over $123 billion on their dogs, according to a Statista analysis. So how can a company that focuses on pets stand apart in a market that is saturated with memory foam mattresses, personalised carry-on bags, and dog-friendly ice cream?
The Natural Dog Company caters to a very particular kind of pet owner: the customer who is environmentally conscientious and spoils their dog.
They put puppies first, just as their customers do, by giving their organic and natural skin care products names like PAWdicure Pack and providing discount codes for free dog treats.
Octavia Elizabeth: Being knowledgeable about the source of raw materials and the manufacturing process is crucial for ethically conscious shoppers looking for jewellery.
This is because the $300 billion business receiving criticism for exploiting child labour and seriously harming the environment.
Octavia Elizabeth is aware of the significance of ethical jewellery. On its website, the firm makes it quite obvious that it is committed to ethical manufacturing, genuine living wages, and fair working conditions.
In addition to focusing on clients ready to spend more for handcrafted, environmentally produced jewellery, Octavia Elizabeth has boosted its niche offering by associating with high-profile customers.
Photographers Without Borders: To persuade people to purchase a product is one thing, but to get donations to a nonprofit is quite another. Even while it might not seem like this kind of organisation would work well with a specialised marketing plan, it’s crucial for recruiting volunteers and donors.
By focusing on a specific marketing strategy: narrative, Photographers Without Borders has formed partnerships with significant companies like Adobe, Sony, and Patagonia.
The company has established a reputation for generating high-quality work that targets the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and UNDRIP by placing a priority on ethical storytelling, whether in a social media post, email newsletter, or online webinar.
Additionally, their Code of Ethics makes it clear what kind of partners and community members they hope to draw in.
Pimsleur: The alternatives for learning a new language are obviously overwhelming, and they may be difficult. If you invest $1,000 in a programme, would you actually sound like a Parisian? Pimsleur emphasises conversational skills rather than making claims about faultless grammar and beautiful accents.
Pimsleur collaborates with polyglot influencers who can attest to the product’s effectiveness for learning new languages in order to market it. Through its affiliate marketing programme, it may routinely reach out to new consumers and attract clients.
